Emphysema, is a serious lung condition that affects the small air sacs in the lungs, called alveoli. The alveoli are small 'balloon-like' structures that are located at the ends of your bronchial tubes. After air has been inhaled into your lungs, it travels through the bronchial tubes and into the alveoli. It is here that oxygen is passed into the blood and carbon dioxide passes out.
Emphysema causes the walls of the alveoli to break down so that larger air spaces are formed. The effect is that the total surface area available for gas exchange is greatly reduced. This means that less oxygen gets into your blood and there is a reduced supply of oxygenated blood to the muscles and vital organs. Also, the waste gas, carbon dioxide, is unable to pass from the blood back into the alveoli where it can be exhaled and, as a result, there is a rise in the amount of this gas in your blood.
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